Ochibi to Oyabaka
by Surrendered to Christ
Summary: Bakura was never parent material. So when he adopts a kid...oh dear.
1. Prologue

_This story takes place after "A Soul's Last Mission" ended. While reading that story is not required, it is highly recommended. _

Disclaimer: I have not, do not, and will neverown Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

"**O'chibi to Oyabaka"**

"_An Introduction"_

It was a rather dull day, the type of day where really, nothing could get you much excited because you've pretty much never really fully woken up in the first place. The gray-cast sky lined with a sheet of gray cloud, threatening rain, the absence of the sun, and the lack of noise did these things to the body. Even when you were inside one of the biggest mansions in all of Japan, your body just did _not_ want to obey your orders to _move._

Such was the state of the residents of the Kaiba mansion, which, by the way, was more than the usual number due to visiting guests. It seemed as if the place got flooded by visitors much more than usual lately. Currently, Seto Kaiba, resident CEO, was shut in his office on the fourth and topmost floor, trying very hard to concentrate on his work, but, for once in his life, he was having no success whatsoever. No doubt he was suffering from the same weather-induced symptoms as everyone else. As much as he tried to force his train of thought to roll along the necessary tracks, all he could think about was how much _different_ life had become over the past year.

First, there was the fact that his one and only baby brother, who, really, had out grown that label long ago, had finally graduated from college, and returned full-time to his old position as vice-president of KaibaCorp. Seto was pleasantly surprised that the boy, who, in his younger years, had shown every sign that he would leave the moment he was free to pursue his own dreams, had in the end chosen to work with his big brother in the family business. Managing such a big corporation was much easier with two geniuses instead of one, all the better that both those geniuses be of the same bloodline, and as close as siblings ever got. It also meant that he was able to see Mokuba every day, as much as he wanted.

Then there was the fact that the man who had moved in a year ago for what was supposed to be only a temporary stay now showed no signs of leaving. In fact, Seto was very sure that he had all the intentions of moving in permanently. He didn't know what it was that first tipped him off to this – perhaps it was the fact that Bakura had sold his house. Seto knew that, in order to stay in character, he really ought to complain, and fight tooth and nail to get the white-haired yami out of his house, but he just…well, he just didn't _want_ to. It wasn't that he'd grown to think of Bakura as a friend – because he _hadn't!_ The man was still as much a nuisance as he'd always been – it was just that kicking Bakura out would also mean kicking out the little boy who had become so much a part of his life. And this led him to the third thing on his mind.

Shadow. Specifically, Shadow Okita Sagara. 'Shadow' was the name the boy had come with, when adopted from the orphanage. 'Sagara' was Bakura's legal last name, thus now Shadow's, too. And 'Okita' was the middle name Ryou had thought so long and hard about, and finally decided on, a name taken from the famous Shinsengumi captain, Okita Souji. It was a pretty unique name, really, but it suited the little boy fairly well. It wasn't until later that someone – Mokuba, if he recalled correctly – had finally realized and pointed out that the initials spelled out 'S.O.S.'

But that was beside the point. What he was musing over was just how _accustomed_ to the little boy he'd become. He'd never been too fond of children. Mokuba didn't count, he was family. Mostly, he'd found little kids to be obnoxious, stubbornly defiant, sticky, and, to put it bluntly, _smelly._ As such, he'd made a big effort to avoid them as much as possible. Until the day he'd run across Bakura, and his newly adopted son. He smirked as he recalled that day – finding the white-haired man stranded on the freeway, the then six-year-old waiflike little Shadow in the backseat, and how he'd proceeded to take them home for what was _supposed _to be a one-day stay, which had somehow spiraled straight out of control.

He'd been there as Shadow began to grow from the painfully shy, abused child Bakura had taken in to become a bright, curious, and lovable boy. Before he'd known it, he'd begun to think of him, and love him, as a nephew. It couldn't have helped that shortly after he started to talk, Shadow took to calling him "Seto-ojichan." That was why he let Bakura stay – because he wanted the boy in his life.

Other visitors made there appearance much more frequently now, becoming more like parasites with every prolonged stay. Joey, who'd returned to Japan, and to whom he'd made the mistake of offering a job. He must have been very drunk at the time. Marik and his yami, in Japan for a year because Marik's company had transferred him there. Yugi, in the midst of pursuing a career as a musician, had re-opened his grandfather's old game shop. And Ryou, who'd settled happily into life as an English teacher at their old high school. All of the abovementioned people had their own houses, but seemed to prefer Seto's place much more than their own.

He sighed and stretched in his chair, before standing up. There was no way he'd get anything else done today. Perhaps it would not matter too much if he took a day off. He paused for a minute, suddenly aware how foreign a thought like that was to him. Time was, he'd never have even considered slacking off. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Damn that Bakura, rubbing off on me."

Heading down the stairs, he became aware of sounds coming from the unlit living room on the first floor. He found the whole gang gathered there, spread out over several couches and chairs, armed with popcorn, chips, soda, and blankets, while a merrily crackling fire danced and crackled in the old-fashion fireplace behind them, casting a mesmerizing glow over the room. All eyes were glued to the television, on which _Die Hard_ was playing. As he entered, several people glanced absentmindedly at him. Mokuba gave a welcoming smile, and waved him over, patting the spot beside him on the leather sofa. Seto began picking his way over the empty chip bags and soda cans on the floor, until he reached his little brother and settled down next to him.

"I'm glad you decided to call it a day," Mokuba whispered, grinning. "You're finally beginning to know your limits."

"Don't be ridiculous," Seto muttered back. "I've always known my limits."

"Shh," someone to his left hissed. Mokuba only rolled his eyes knowingly at his older brother, before turning back to the movie. Seto grimaced inwardly. His brother knew him too well.

He shifted slightly, settling into a comfortable position to sit through the rest of the movie. It was a pretty good movie – he really did enjoy it, the first – oh – say, ten times he'd seen it. After that, things started to get a little repetitive. It's always a bad sign when you can practically recite twenty minutes' worth of dialogue by heart.

Suddenly, he realized that this movie was definitely _not_ a Walt Disney animated film – and definitely _not_ suitable for Shadow. He jerked around, scanning the room, but the lack of proper light made it impossible to clearly make out anything more than two feet away. Leaning forward, he whispered into Mokuba's ear, "Hey, where's Shadow-chan?"

Mokuba grinned, and whispered back, "Don't worry, he's that lump of blankets you see next to Bakura. He's sleeping. Amazingly, when you consider how much noise this movie makes…"

"Yeah, O'chibi concked out about an hour ago, before we started the movie," a voice beneath him chipped in helpfully, causing Seto to jump in shock. Leaning over, he saw that he'd somehow missed seeing Joey sprawled at the foot of the couch.

"'O'chibi'?" he repeated bemusedly. "Is that what you call him now?"

"Hey, why not? It's shorter than 'Shadow-chan', and it's what he _is, _see, cause's he's beneath say, y'know, eight, so we can call him a baby, and one of his chromosomes were obviously missing a leg, so he's a boy. A baby boy," Joey explained in a tone of voice that plainly suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Seto blinked, silent for a second, before cocking his head and inquiring, "Have I been spending too much time with him, or did that all just make sense?"

"Shh!" someone hissed again. "Kaiba, if you can't watch a movie like a normal person, then get out!"

"Oh shut up, Marik," Seto grumbled back, having recognized the Egyptian's voice. Moments later, an empty can smacked him in the head.

Scowling, he reached down and snagged Joey's can of 7up right out of his hands, and hurled it back in the general direction Marik was in.

"Oi! Dammit Kaiba, that thing wasn't empty! What's the matter with you?" Marik howled indignantly. A crunching noise was heard, before –

"Ow!" a young voice cried out in protest as a dull _clunk _resounded above the noises of multiple killing devices going off from the TV, signaling that Marik's latest attack had hit an unintended target.

"MARIK!" Bakura's furious roar sent everyone clinging to a comfort object. "What the HELL do you think you're DOING?"

"Sorry Kura sorry Kura sorry!" Marik yelped. "Totally unintentional, totally! I was just trying to get Kaiba to shut up! Please don't kill me!" he pleaded pitifully.

"You hurt Shadow-chan!" Bakura snapped. "Alright, get over here so I can hit you!"

"Yeah, Kura, Marik's just going to walk over and say, 'Here pal, hit me as hard as you can, because I know Shadow-chan getting hurt makes you want to rip someone's arm off.'" Joey commented sarcastically in a wry drawl.

"Alright, that's it, both of you get over here so I can hit you!" Bakura growled bluntly. "I'd get up, but I'm too drunk, and I'd probably fall over."

"Oh, that man's such a _wonderful_ role model for his son," Seto deadpanned.

"Indeed, he's an example to us all," Mokuba quipped in a dreamy voice. "He's the ideal idiot father. If you ever want to play an idiot parent, be like Bakura."

"Oyabaka and O'chibi. I like it!" Joey piped up.

"Yeah, it's a recipe for disaster," Ryou smirked, though no one saw it through the darkness in the room. "You put those two together – nothing good can come of it. Nothing at all."

* * *

The term "Oyabaka" translates form Japanese as, literally, "parent stupid."

"O'chibi" means "baby boy". Fans of _Tenisu no Oujisama_ or _Prince of Tennis_ will recognize this as what the Regulars (or 'Starters') refer to Ryoma as.

So, there's the short intro to "O'chibi to Oyabaka". Not much about Bakura in this chapter – that'll come soon. I need suggestions for this story – I'm begging here! It took me a year to come up with this four-pager – if no one decides they like this, I dunno…it's probably going to bite the dust real quick. Please, help? Like I said in the last notes on 'Soul's Last Mission,' I'd like this to be a round-robin fic. So, if you have any ideas, either send them to me raw, or write a chapter and send it over! Thanks for all the help!

-DCW


	2. Genius

**_Chapter 1_**

_"__Genius"_

He couldn't believe it.

He _really_ could _not_ believe it.

It wasn't possible, it wasn't – _how_ was this possible?

Of all the things, _of all the things -!_

He honestly didn't know whether to feel shocked or proud. Possible both. Yes, that was it. He was shocked _and_ proud.

He was _not_ annoyed. He was _not_ hurt. No way in hell. _No way in hell!_

It was beginner's luck. That was the only possible explanation. Pure beginner's luck!

He would prove it too. Just wait. _Just wait,_ he snarled to the devil's little minions which he was sure were laughing their heads off at him at this very moment.

"All right, kid," he growled, the aforementioned thoughts still chasing themselves around in repetitive circles inside his head. "I'm not going easy on you this time. _Do you understand?"_

Bright crimson eyes looked back at him, bewildered as to why the man was so vexed for seemingly no good reason.

Five minutes later found Bakura storming out of the room, trailing a weak excuse about having to use the bathroom, and leaving behind a very, very confused seven-year-old sitting alone in front of the television.

He could not _believe_ he had just lost to his son at Super Smash Bothers twice.

Xxx

Seto came home at ten till seven. He hung his coat up on the not-so-frequently-used rack they kept by the door, before walking into the living room to find Shadow curled on the couch, face buried behind a book, dwarfed by the huge cushion he was sitting behind.

"Hi, Ojichan!" the boy greeted him happily, putting his book aside to come give him a hug.

"Hey, O'chibi," Seto chuckled, lifting the boy up into his arms. At seven years old, little Shadow could still easily pass for a kindergartener, and thus was always in danger of getting stepped on, much to the boy's dismay. Though, his family constantly reassured him that they did not care about his diminutive size, seeing as how he was, as Joey had once put it, "a damn hell of a lot cuter than anything else Japan could possibly offer, including that yellow electric mouse." That comment, truthful though it may have been, helpful though it was intended to be, had gotten the blonde bashed over the head by Yugi for "filling the boy's mind with dirty words."

"Where's Bakura?" Seto asked while making his way into the kitchen to start dinner. Although Shadow no longer stuck to his adopted father like glue, it was still somewhat unusual to see the two apart, especially when they were in the same building.

"I dunno. Upstairs, I guess. I haven't seen him for a while…" Shadow trialed off, and Seto looked down to see a small frown on that cherubic face. He didn't need to ask to know that Shadow was worried about having done something wrong to upset the man he so adored.

"Oh? Well, you wait here, O'chibi, and you get started on dinner. We're having soba. You know how to make that. I'll be back soon." At Shadow's nod of consent, he left the boy and went up the stairs to find Bakura, already preparing the speech he would give the ex-tomb robber, admonishing him for upsetting the child he had come to recognize as a nephew.

He rapped twice on Bakura's bedroom door, and at the grunt of acknowledgement, he walked in to find the white-haired man sprawled on the bed, staring moodily out the window. Shutting the door behind him, he wasted no time beating around the brush and jump straight to his point. "Bakura, what are you doing up here? Do you know that Shadow-chan is down there, worried about having upset you?"

"Well, he _did_ upset me," Bakura muttered, though he sat up at the mention of Shadow.

"Oh really? What exactly did he do? If it's something stupid like last time…" Seto crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the man on the bed.

"Last time was _not_ stupid, Kaiba. You would be upset too if he somehow managed to beat _your_ best time at completing a Sudoku puzzle!" Bakura snapped, pouting like a school girl, causing Seto to roll his eyes in exasperation. Sometimes, that man acted like he was a six-year-old of the opposite gender. "Bakura, if he managed to beat _my_ time at Sudoku, I wouldn't be mad, I would instantly send him off to some college like, say…MIT. Now you, if you weren't busy being such a baby, would have realized that it does not take a genius like Shadow to beat _your_ time. Now what exactly did he do?"

Bakura's face darkened at the numerous insults squeezed into that little spew, furious at himself for failing to come up with a snappy comeback. Worse yet was the knowledge that the perfect retort would, without a doubt, spring into his head hours later. Wishing that Kaiba would just disappear – or at least join his pity party – he reluctantly answered the CEO's question. Though it may have come out a little…rushed.

"I'm sorry, Bakura, you lost me the moment you opened your mouth. Consider slowing down to about two words a second, and _enunciate."_

Bakura scowled. "_He beat me at Super Smash Brothers!"_

There was a moment of utter silence, in which a look of pure disbelief formed on Seto's face.

Then the tall man stepped forward and, with an eerie, icy calm, walked up to the white-haired yami –

- and slapped him across the face, before turning around and walking back out, just as composed as he had been coming in.

Bakura sat frozen, eyes fixed on the spot where Seto had disappeared, unable to do much of anything but gape.

It was a full three minutes later that he re-gained the power of speech. And the only thing worth saying was…well…"Oh yeah? Well…you slap like a girl!"

Xxx

"Ojichan? What's wrong?" Shadow paused from where he had been busy washing some vegetables in the sink to look up at his uncle with concern written all over his young face.

Seto sighed. No matter how much he tried, he could never fully hide his feeling from the boy. The mask that worked on everyone else in the world had only ever failed him twice – first to Mokuba, then to Shadow.

"Bakura's being a jerk, O'chibi. So, nothing new," Seto sighed and shook his head. "He's not worthy of being your father, Shadow-chan. He hasn't even grown out of childhood himself."

Shadow hesitated, letting the water rush down from the tap to the drain, missing the bunch of leeks in his hands completely. "Did he…was he mad?" he asked timidly, staring at the CEO with doleful eyes.

Seto sighed, pulling up his sleeves and going over to ruffle the boy's hair. "No, kiddo, he wasn't mad. Just being…Bakura. Don't worry about him, alright? He'll come down as soon as he gets his head straightened out. Or as soon as he gets hungry, which will probably happen first," he added dryly. "Now let's get on with dinner. Mokuba's coming in late; he's got a meeting, so it'll just be the three of us."

"Alright," Shadow murmured, turning back to his leeks.

"Hey," Seto whispered, pulling the boy into an embrace. "Don't you worry about Bakura, okay? He just gets upset easily. But you know, he does love you, more than anything else in the world. What seems like anger is probably more just…frustration, and fear. He's learning how to be a father. And no matter how hard he tries, it's still going to take some time. When he gets edgy, sometimes it's best to leave him alone for a bit. And at other times…well, maybe he just needs to know that no matter what else, _you_ will still love _him._"

It was a moment before Shadow's face lightened, and the boy returned the hug. "Yeah, okay. I get it."

"Good," the man chuckled. "He can seem difficult to understand, but what you crack the code, you can read the man like an open book with the words dancing out."

Shadow laughed.

* * *

_Yes, I know this is short. It was originally intended to be the first chapter, as the prologue, but that obviously didn't work out, so I thought I'd just throw it in here. _

_Thanks for the great ideas you guy gave me, I'll definitely work off them. Still, if anyone out there's willing to write out a chapter?...too much to ask, huh? Well, I gotta stop being lazy. But as a fair warning, it's gonna be quite sometime between updates, unless a plot bunny just springs up and starts beating me on the head. Thanks for the patience, and please – keep those ideas coming! They're really great!_

_DCW_


	3. The Dumb and the Pointless

_**Chapter 2**_

"_The Dumb and the Pointless"_

"Okay, okay, I've got one," Joey said eagerly, bouncing up and down in his seat, waving his hand wildly above his head and nearly hitting Ryou's in the process. He sat up straighter as all eyes turned upon him, drawing in the air around him like Superman would his cloak. "Alright. What…do you think is the stupidest thing ever?" This was said with the biggest grin he face could contain, as his eyes glimmered with unsurpassable pride at having come up with such a great question.

Seto snorted as everyone visibly dropped with disappointment at the letdown. "That question," he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, hahaha, very funny, I'm dyin' of laughter," the blonde man snapped back, flinging a dirty look at the smug CEO. He refused to let that too-confident grin and jeering comment spoil his special moment. "Just answer, you morons."

Bakura shrugged noncommittally, deciding to humor the guy, and also take the wide open opportunity to shoot an insult somewhere. "Fine. Malik."

"Shut up, tomb robber."

Having nothing better to do, Yugi decided he might as well jump in too. "I choose 'tax forms'."

"Amen to that."

"Politics."

"Ooh! Good one."

"Wars."

"C'mon, hippie, don't spoil it for the sadists of the world."

"Love."

"That's just 'cause you can't _get_ it."

"CEOs and their incredibly large ego."

"Hey! That's not nice. Okay fine, then I switch my answer to 'little brothers'."

"I wouldn't know, I never had to put up with one."

"Shut up, you two. I'm changing mine to 'women'."

"Be nice. They're not stupid, just...enigmatic"

"Big words."

"How is 'enigmatic" a big word?"

"I've got it! School!"

"..."

And there was a moment of silence in which this last answer was chewed, tasted, swallowed, and digested. Slowly, seven pairs of eyes shifted first to look at each other, then to the person who had come up with the idea.

"Well, can't argue with that," Joey muttered thoughtfully, voicing everyone's thoughts out loud. "Damn. Does that mean that Marik wins this round?"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Ryou interrupted, looking very hurt – and rightfully so, really, as his profession had been directly picked out and stepped on. "I'm a teacher, and I can tell you that school is _not_ stupid!"

"Maybe the idea of school isn't stupid, but the way the system works sure is," Seto replied, refilling his coffee mug. He blinked when he suddenly found his hands empty, that magical pot of life-giving elixir having been rudely jerked out of his hands by a certain miffed hikari.

"Oh really? How so?" Ryou challenged, crossing his arms emphatically over his chest, holding Seto's hundred-dollar coffee pot mockingly just out of his reach. No way he'd stand by and let these people call school stupid. Never mind that he ran through three cases of red pens in as many weeks just correcting spelling alone, let alone the embarrassingly ridiculous amount of _grammar_ mistakes –

But that wasn't the point.

"Oh, c'mon, Ryou, we're not poking fun at you specifically. Just, y'know, the fact that you never learn what's actually important in school," Marik shrugged, opening a bottle of beer with bare hands that had ceased to feel pain some hours ago. It never occurred to him just how ludicrous a statement that was coming from him – a man who had skipped two out of three days of school for every year beginning from the second grade.

"And it takes twelve years to learn what you could in six, if that," Seto added, having given up on trying to make Ryou return his coffee and settling for what he had left in his mug. He grabbed the sugar bowl, stirring in one-tenth of a spoonful of sugar before downing the contents like a tequila shot. "Do you know how much time is wasted in our system? An entire year of Geometry could be squeezed into three months." At this point, Ryou slammed the pot back down on the table, and the CEO seized the opportunity to grab the pot once more, before tilting it over his depressingly empty mug. Surprise registered in his brain when steaming hot caffeinated magic didn't rush out immediately. Instead, only a few drops came grudgingly forth. Seto frowned, shaking the pot that stubbornly refused to refill itself.

"Uh, big brother, you have to make more," Mokuba pointed out gently, before taking the pot away from him and making his way across the kitchen to the open bag of coffee beans that no one had spared the time to put away.

"Whoa, Kaiba, you look like you could fall asleep right now. What's wrong? Not used to staying up all night? Getting on in your years, are you?"

"Shut up, mutt. Not all of us are too stupid to get tired after three hours of 'answer this question.'"

"Has it really been three hours?"

"Will you people please get back on subject?" Ryou wailed, his loud voicing causing a couple of over-liquorated (or over-caffeinated) people to jump. "Here I am, all ready to defend myself, and no one will take a shot!"

"Oh, give it a rest, hikari," Bakura mumbled, setting down the empty bottle he'd been nursing and wiping his mouth with the back of his shirt. His hair was in a mess – well, more so than usual anyway, and credit for this was due to Marik, who had braided it while the man had been too drunk to notice. That was four hours ago, and no one had had the heart – or the guts – to tell him yet.

"Yeah, Ryou, you know that if you could, you'd be over here trashing it like the rest of us," Joey pointed out, leaning his chair back at a dangerous angle, and immediately arousing in several people's heads the urge to kick the legs straight out from under him.

Ryou threw up his hands. "Okay, so does nobody think school isn't dumb?" If he had a supporter, they were either too shy or having too much fun at his expense to come to his aid. "Oh, come on now! Yugi?"

The shorter man blinked up at him, before a lopsided smile teased its way onto his lips. "Yeah, I can see where I'd be your best shot, but no. Sorry, Ryou, I'm actually with them on this one."

"C'mon, Yuge, I know you didn't do so well in school, but you made friends there, right? It couldn't have been that bad."

"Ryou-kun, I had to go through seven – no wait, _eight_ years of hell before I got to that point. Other than Kindergarten and first grade, when kids just didn't know what in the world was going on, and then the last two years where I had you guys, I was teased mercilessly. Ask Joe. He remembers."

The aforementioned blonde shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that. In my defense, you were small and weak. Not exactly easy to pass that up."

"See?" Yugi rolled his eyes, shaking his head to clear away the rather unpleasant memories flooding it. "Besides, why do you think I haven't pestered them about putting Shadow-chan into the public system? Because I know he'd have to go through the exact same thing, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"Hey yeah, why _haven't_ we put Shadow-chan in school?" Ryou asked, looking up at Seto. "He's way past due for integrating into the system."

"Excuse me, were you listen to me at all?" Yugi said in an exasperated voice, before scowling as Marik came up and used his head as an armrest. "Hush, little guy," the bleach-blonde man drawled, "Let these grown-ups talk. And Ryou, what's school going to do for him? I mean, besides teach him self-defense through first hand experience."

The coffee perked, and Mokuba handed the pot over to his brother before adding his two cents on the subject: "I always just thought we'd find him a tutor if we had to. And it's not like we can't home school him. It's like Yugi says – and by the way, get off him, Marik, his face is redder than I've seen it in a good while – you know Shadow-chan wouldn't fit into the schools."

"Well, not if he doesn't even get to try!"

"School's not going to teach him anything, Ryou," Marik said impatiently, having planted himself a safe few feet away from Yugi. He was now using his yami as a shield in case the shorter hikari should decide to extract revenge.

"For once, I agree with him. He can cover so much more ground at here! With Seto, though, not me. Even I'll admit that all I could teach him is gambling," Bakura paused, re-thinking this comment for a moment, before adding, "And given whose reincarnation he is, I'm betting it'll only take a week at most for him to beat me at _that_, too."

Joey nodded in agreement. "And look at us! We went to school for God knows how many years. What did it do for us? I failed school, and I've still got a great job!"

"I wouldn't brag about that job too much, mutt, you couldn't have ever gotten it without Mokuba pushing for you."

"Will you stop going off on tangents? What can school do? Hmm, let me think…Teach you to count?"

"Shadow-chan can already do that."

"To read?"

"That too"

"To write?"

"_We_ can teach him that."

"Science?"

"Can't be that hard, we'll let Seto do it."

"History?"

"Aw, Ryou, a freakin' half-baked _potato_ could do that!"

"So lets see you try!"

"Shadow actually knows quite a bit about history already."

"Well, he can't make any friends _here_."

"Did you not listen to a word I said earlier? Putting him in school is like putting a sheep in the lions' pen!"

"G'morning."

Everybody jumped at the entrance of the soft voice into their rambunctious volley of argument, and eight pairs of eyes all swiveled towards the doorway. Shadow stood there, clad in pastel-blue star-covered pajamas that were slightly too big. His hair was sleep-tousled, the blonde bangs flopping haphazardly over soft crimson eyes that were gazing around the room, though their movements were a bit hindered by lingering traces of sleep. "Did…did you guys not sleep at _all_ last night?" he inquired after a pause, having taken note of the countless empty bottles and tin cans, and the near-empty bag of coffee.

"Well, no," Bakura admitted. "But did you have a good sleep?"

"Yup," the child smiled, padding forward, his bare feet making a soft slapping sound against the tiled kitchen floor. Having reached his father, he crawled into the man's lap like an affectionate kitten. "Had a nice dream. And you must'a emptied a whole case last night," he added, wrinkling his nose distastefully.

"You're good," Bakura grinned, not a trace of shame in his voice. "Can you tell how many pots of coffee Kaiba over there had to make to stay on his feet?"

"'bout five, give or take half or so," the child replied promptly, after barely glancing at the bag of coffee.

"Is he right?" Yugi asked in fascination.

"Yeah," Mokuba replied, gazing at the boy with something akin to awe in his down-gray eyes.

"See Ryou? He didn't need school to tell him that."

"Put that beer away, Marik. You've had enough to last you weeks. And you know the rules, no drinking in front of the kid," Seto ordered, knowing that if he didn't put his foot down, these people would all turn into raging alcoholics, regardless of the fact that there was a minor in the house.

"Okay, O'chibi. We're gonna give you a test." Ryou took the boy and sat him on a stool, determined to prove his point. "Answer as best as you can, alright?"

"Okay…" the boy replied uncertainly. "But after that, can I have breakfast?"

"That's beside the point. Now! What is three plus five?"

"Eight," the boy answered without a slightest hint of a pause, wondering why in the world Ryou-oniichan was acting so weird this morning, and why he was pacing around and around in a small circle, orbiting four particular tiles on the floor.

"Just give up, Ryou…"

"Shut up, gave keeper, I wanna see Shadow win this game," Bakura hissed, smacking the other man on the head.

"Hush, you two. Alright, what's three _times_ five?"

"Fifteen."

"Three divided by five?"

"Three-fifths."

"Give it to me in decimal form, 'Chibi-chan, you're not getting off that easy."

"Zero point six."

"Whoa," Joey muttered to himself. "Don't even think _I_ could'a done it that fast."

"Okay, fine. How do you spell 'your' as in 'that's _your_ car?'"

"Y-o-u-r."

"Then what's y-o-u apostrophe r-e?"

"That's the shortened form of 'you are.'"

"_Fine_! When were the atomic bombs dropped on Japan?"

"August, 1945."

"Who is Katsura Kogorō?"

"Wasn't he…leader of the Chōshū army during the Bakumatsu?"

"Oh for – how are you so good?" Ryou cried, before storming out of the room in a huff without even bothering to come up with an excuse for his abrupt exit.

Shadow stared after him, eyes wide in bewilderment and fear. "Did I – was it something I said? I don't…did I get that last one wrong?"

"No, kiddo, you got it right. I think Ryou's just having a bad day," Bakura said reassuringly, a proud smile plastered on his face as he scooped the boy into his arms, loving the way the child automatically adjusted himself to fall right into position against his chest and shoulder.

"Why? What did Marik-aniki do to him last night?"

"Hey! How do you know it was me?"

"Marik, a half-baked _potato_ would know it was you. Now put that beer away before I chain off your hands!"

"Tyrant," the hikari grumbled, but reluctantly complied because he knew Seto had both the will and the power to carry out his threat.

"What's going on?" Shadow muttered, already knowing that his question would most likely go unanswered.

"Never you mind, kid, let's get you some breakfast. Do you want jell-o? We made some last night."

"Bakura, that jell-o's made out of pure vodka!" Mokuba cried in disbelief, firmly convinced that if left alone, Bakura would kill both himself and the boy before the week was up.

"I'll just have toast, Otou-sama," Shadow said quickly, not even wanting to know about the jell-o shots. He'd long ago decided to stay away from the deeper working of his guardians' world. It was safer to just not know.

"Toast, then. Grape jelly, apple jelly, strawberry jam, or apple butter?"

"Grape jelly. Thanks, Seto-ojichan."

"No problem, kid. I wouldn't trust a soul in this room with my toaster anyway. Expect Mokuba and possibly Yugi."

Shadow smiled, before reaching a hand up to tug at his father's platinum white bangs. "Hey, 'tou-sama? Did you know your hair's been braided with hot pink ribbons?"

The words had barely tumbled out of his mouth before he found himself sitting alone on the counter in a suddenly empty kitchen. From far away, he could hear Bakura's distinct yells of fury and the rapid thumps of his preys' fleeing footsteps. Too late, he realized that he had misjudged the situation and spoken too soon.

"This means I won't be getting anything to eat until noon, and that's if I'm lucky," he sighed sadly to himself. "They could've at least put me on the floor. I'm too short to jump down without spraining an ankle."

In the background, a stunned cry told him that 'Tou-sama had found an unwitting victim in poor Ryou-oniichan.

* * *

Note:

**Aniki **isanother term for 'big brother', if I'm not mistaken (which I very well could be, since I've never taken Japanese, so please correct me if I'm wrong)

In _Christmas Eve,_ Shadow refers to Seto as 'Seto-kun.' This is inconsistent with both this story and the revised version of _Soul's Last Mission_, so please ignore it – I'll get around to fixing that eventually. That piece was written at a time when I was too lazy to do research, or I would've known it was definitely inappropriate for Shadow-chan to use this title with his honorary uncle. I've switched it to 'Oji-chan,' which was the closet term I could find, but again, if this, too, is wrong, someone please correct me…

Well, I finally pushed myself to finish this chapter. Credit for the 'Shadow and school' idea and some of the dialogue used in this chapter goes to Shadow over Egypt and dragonlady222 – thank you both so much :)!

Also, UltimateAngstQueen pointed out that the Japanese don't have middle names…yeah, whoopse, I knew, but totally spaced it. So let me offer an explanation: It's possible for a person to have both an English name and keep their original Japanese name as a middle name (at least that's possible with Chinese names). Now, Shadow's name is already in English format (surname after first name) so let's go ahead say, legally, 'Shadow' is his English first name, 'Okita' his Japanese name, and 'Sagara' shall stay his last name. That should work out…right? (-sheepish grin-)

That should be all…so until next time, sayonara, minna-san! And Merry Christmas 2006!


	4. A Recipe for Eternity

I've been working on the next installment of this story for a while now. It was slow, it was stubborn...it just refused to come. And then I sat down in Spanish class today, with orders to research a city in Spain for a project. I opened up Microsoft word, put my hands on the keyboard, and lo and behold, this chapter came out (backwards, but that's beside the point) in about forty-five minutes. It's short, it's different, and I have _no_ idea where it came from...but here is the unplanned chapter three. Hope you enjoy it, and please review :)

_**

* * *

**_

Chapter 3

"_A Recipe for Eternity"_

His fingers itched to write.

He was readily prepared, equipped with his well-worn journal, his fountain pen, and a soft, down-stuffed chair only a few feet away from the warmth of a lush, crackling fire.

But the words were stubborn, and slow in coming.

Thrice, the slender tip of his pen had met the snow-white paper.

And thrice, it had pulled away after lingering for brief, fleeting seconds.

The desire was there. It was there, dancing eagerly, hungrily, elatedly within his breast – the urge to create art, to create music, to paint a magical, mesmerizing picture with the twenty-six characters that were the ambassadors of an undreamed realm.

What was missing was the fire, the spark, the sudden glimpse of the world that was at once within and without. _Inspiration._

And no words came to him.

So he sat in his chair, fingers trembling with a barely suppressible yearning to give meaning, to give a sketch of one of the universe's numberless songs.

Flames leapt and swooped within the fireplace, casting a soft glow over the room, over the walls and carpets, over its three occupants, creating light in place of shadows, and shadows in place of light. The effect was surrealism rooted in reality.

His eyes grew tired of the image of the blank white page, and begged for permission to take some time to wander. His mind sighed, disappointed in its failure to open up a fountain of dazzling beauty and wisdom, and reluctantly let them go.

Their wandering led them in a circuit around the room, before falling on his two companions.

_" 'Tou-sama, 'Tou-sama, how big is the universe?"_

_"Bigger than the sky."_

_"And how big is the sky?"_

_"Bigger than the oceans."_

_"How big are the oceans?"_

_"Bigger than the mountains."_

_"How much bigger than the mountains is the universe?"_

_"Infinitely."_

_"What is 'infinitely'?"_

_"That's eternity. Never-ending."_

_"Then where can we put eternity, if it is so much bigger than everything else?"_

_"I can put it in the sky, in the oceans, and in the mountains. I'll tell you a secret: my eternity rests in this very room."_

_"Really? Where?"_

_"Well, now, how can I show you? It never ends."_

_"Where is _my_ eternity, 'Tou-sama?"_

_"Your eternity is yours, 'Chibi-chan, and you may put it where you wish."_

_"Ahh…"_

He smiled, eyes growing heavy. The warmth of the singing fire and the rhythm of the cosmos beating all around rocked him, lulled him to sleep, as an infant in its mother's arms.

His eyes closed, and for how long they remained shut, he did not know. When he opened them once more, articulated words had, as if by magic, fallen into his heart, mind, and soul. He blinked once, and when his sleep-fogged vision cleared, he saw in front of him the golden spark of inspiration. And the words fell into place.

His pen fell to the paper, and his brush flurried over its canvas in firm, confident strokes. The melody pour out, note by note, stanza by stanza, beating perfectly in time with the dance steps of the flames, the tempo of the snow, and the drumming of his heart, dropping as crystals into a jade-green pool of nature.

Then his pen stopped, and the melody rode on, upon the soundless wind of that marvelous world.

Ryou smiled softly, satisfied and complete. He placed his notebook gently down on the table, setting his pen on top. He stood up, grabbed a nearly blanket, and walked over to tuck it softly around Bakura and Shadow, both of whom were sleeping soundly, side by side. Shadow lay curled up, enclosed within Bakura's fond embrace, the serene, tranquil smile etched on his lips mirroring the one which, for the first time in over five millennia, could also be found on the face of his father.

Xxx

_A Recipe for Eternity_

_Measure out a sky full of hope_

_An ocean full of joy_

_A mountain range of patience_

_And a universe of love._

_Mix and pour into two hearts_

_And place them side by side_

_Now watch:_

_Regardless of the weather outside_

_Unhindered by shadows, raindrops, night or hail_

_Assuredly, steadily, boldly, tenderly_

_The hearts will wrap around each other_

_And join, tied by a braided string _

_From Heaven_

_And surely, a beautiful, glorious bud will sprout_

_Grow_

_Strengthen_

_Bloom_

_Into a towering tree_

_Standing confident and strong in the face of the world_

_Rooted firmly in a foundation_

_Of one unquenchable heart_


	5. King of the Jungle

I'm sorry for being bad! I know it's been forever...Thank you for your reviews, and for putting up with me though my chaotic schedule.

This is a short little chapter, and I hope it pleases. I apologize in advance if I get facts mixed up - I didn't really do a lot of research, so please bare with me. Arigato, and enjoy!

* * *

"_King of the Jungle"_

It was no great hidden mystery in the Kaiba household that Shadow-chan liked animals. Big or small, from no-legged to eight, he loved them all – every single creature that so much as breathed under the burning sun and changing moon. He could tell you all the useless facts you would ever want – or not want – to hear, whether or not you asked him to, and he would tell you with such bright, big-eyed enthusiasm that you would have no heart to ask him to stop, even if it had been two straight hours and you really had to go to the bathroom.

There were two exceptions to Shadow's affections, those being cockroaches and mosquitoes, but that is both completely understandable and beside the point.

If you were to walk into Shadow's bedroom, you would instantly be able to guess that he was an animal-fanatic. Every tiny inch of his biggest wall was dedicated to Kingdom Animalia. There were posters, magazine clippings, and random hand-drawn pictures pasted together in a giant college. On his bed no less than eight stuffed animals were lined up neatly against the headboard. Animals covered his comforter, pillowcases, curtains, and various accessories. Seto had a while ago affectionately named his room "the zoo."

Shadow had always had a soft spot for animals, but the real craze started about six months ago during a little family trip. It had been Yugi's idea to visit the zoo and Marineworld, and it ended up being a trip that Seto constantly regretted agreeing to, especially every time Shadow came up and asked him – with puppy-dog eyes and all – if he could _possibly, please, Seto-ojichan¸_ have just _one_ pet – just _one…_

That was the real problem. Seto was fine with the animals the boy had in his head, but a real, live one – in his _house_ no less –

The horror.

It didn't matter what the boy said, Seto knew that an animal would cause only problems in this house. Heck, there was enough mayhem already to rival a small country. Voluntarily allowing a pet would be committing literal suicide. So his answer was a firm and emphatic (and rather frightened) _"no!"_

But Shadow was never one to give up easily.

Xxx

Felines had always been the boy's favorite among favorites. More likely than not, it had something to do with his unusual heritage. Unfortunately for Seto, cats also happened to be Mokuba's and Bakura's favorites as well. So when Shadow came and asked for a kitten, he was forced to turn down not just one but three. Eight, actually, if you added Yugi, Joey, Marik, Malik, and Ryou, all of whom had been over when the request was made and had backed Shadow passionately. Shadow had probably timed it just for that reason, too, being the natural-born strategist that he was.

But no. He could do without litter boxes and crazy cat toys, thank you very much.

He should have known there was no way that little gang was going to take it lying down.

Xxx

He knew something was up the moment he opened the door that evening. There was just some instinctive, uncanny feeling in his gut – some surprise was waiting just around the corner, and there was a 99 percent chance that it was going to be unpleasant.

"Shadow-chan?" he called cautiously, drawing his body slowly over the threshold, prepared to turn and bolt at any moment. "Bakura? Mokuba? Anyone home?"

"I'm here, Ojichan!" Shadow's voice replied happily from the kitchen. A moment later, the boy appeared, holding a package of raw meat in his hands.

_That's odd,_ Seto thought to himself dumbly, feeling mystified and perplexed. _Why the meat – _

A shape bounced out of the kitchen after Shadow, and a started butting against the child's leg.

Seto actually felt like fainting.

"Is…what is…" he asked weakly, for lack of anything better to say.

"His name is Sahara Storm. He followed me home. Can I keep him?"

The Bengal tiger cub at his side looked up at Seto and growled, and the man could have sworn it smiled.

Xxx

"You got him a _tiger?_" a very dismayed and pissed off CEO hissed at his little brother, slamming the door behind him in a fierce display of anger. "Damn it, Mokuba! What were you _thinking_?"

Mokuba blinked up serenely at him, knowing he had the man wrapped completely around his little finger like a child's toy. He knew every trick, every button in the book for dealing with Seto Kaiba, and he was not afraid to use them. The game was already his, and he knew it.

He leaned casually against his desk, stuffed his hands in his pockets, brushed his bangs out of his eyes, and, having thus completed the picture of perfect innocence, peered up at his brother said calmly, "I didn't get it for him. Bakura took him to the park today, and it just followed them home."

"Yes, I heard about that," Seto growled, having just had the most frustrating conversation of his life with a too-smug Bakura down the hall. "You actually expect me to believe there was just conveniently a man with a tiger cub sitting by the most remote trail of the park carrying all the equipment the thing needed?"

"It's a 'he,' Nii-sama, not a 'thing,'" Mokuba replied, completely unruffled. "As for the man – perhaps he just happened to have a spare tiger that he rescued from an illegal underground trade. And maybe the tiger needed a good home until it's old enough to go to a zoo. I don't know. It's not like _I_ paid him to be there. I don't quite know why you're yelling at me."

"If it wasn't you, then what it this loan you took out of the bank for?"

"Ryou, Marik, and Yugi all needed some money for personal reasons."

"I'm going to kill the lot of you."

Xxx

"Are you angry, Ojichan?" Shadow asked timidly, coming to crawl up beside him on the couch before reaching down and picking up Sahara Storm from the floor and cuddling him in his lap. The cub growled softly with pleasure, batting playfully at the hand tickling his tummy.

Seto glanced at the boy, holding an armful of wriggling tiger, before sighing deeply and wondering how Shadow thought anyone could actually remain angry at a big-eyed, soft-voiced seven-year-old holding a baby animal. "You know we can't keep him forever, 'Chibi-chan," he murmured. "He's going to grow big. He's going to need a home where he has room to run and play."

"I know," Shadow nodded, amiably letting the cub nuzzle at his neck. "But I want to help him grow until then."

"It's going to take work. It's going to take patience."

"And it's going to take love," Shadow finished for him. "But I really think I can do it, Ojichan. And I know I'll always have help."

The man shook his head at the boy's innocent confidence. He had lost the battle. He had lost it the moment Shadow had set eyes on that little tiger. What could he do but play along and hope for the best? "Well, it can't hurt to give it a try. Just make sure he doesn't cause too much damage around here."

Shadow grinned with utmost satisfaction, before reaching over to deposit his tiger in Seto's lap, announcing that he had to go to the bathroom real quick. Left alone with the tiger cub, Seto wondered what exactly he was supposed to do with the ball of fluff shedding all over him. Only quick reflexes saved him as he caught the kitten before it managed to jump off his lap.

Lifting it in front of his face, he stated wryly, "Sahara Storm is a strange name."

The cub only yawned at him, showing a row of perfect little teeth and a long pink tongue. Seto wrinkled his nose. "You stink," he informed the cat, putting it on his lap again. It sniffed curiously at his shirt and face, before sticking its nose straight between his legs, arousing a hasty curse as Seto jerked backwards. The tiger blinked up at him with wide brown eyes at were eerily similar to Shadow's puppy-eyes.

Grabbing a pillow to protect himself from another unexpected tiger-attack, Seto cautiously let it back down again. And to his surprise, the cub started rubbing against his chest with a rumbling purr, before curling up and almost immediately falling asleep.

"I still don't like you," Seto scowled, though, for some reason, his hand started petting the soft tiger-fur as though it had a mind of its own. He wondered absently why it was taking Shadow so long to go to the bathroom.

Xxx

"I told you he would agree," Bakura whispered to the child in his arms, standing hidden in tall shadows cast by the wall he leaned against, from where he could plainly see Kaiba and his new friend. Shadow smiled, tucking his head under his father's chin. "You're wicked, Otou-sama," he grinned, remembering something Ryou-oniichan had once said.

"Hai," Bakura agreed shamelessly. "Though you're not exactly as innocent as you seem."

Shadow's grin widened slightly, turning rather subtly into a childish smirk.

XxxxX

General Tiger Facts (taken from the notebook of Shadow Okita Sagara:)

The first 6-8 weeks, cubs are dependent on their mother's milk.

Eight weeks (about 2 months) after birth, the cubs will starting joining their mother in hunting. At the age of six months, the mother will usually break the legs or somehow maim the prey so the cubs can learn to kill.

Tigers have fully developed canines by 16 months, but they start making kills at 18 months.

Cubs are raised by their mother, and stay with her for about 2 years. During this time, they will learn to hunt. They will also acquire other behavioral traits such as grooming, sharpening their claws, etc.

Tigers can fend for themselves after one and a half years.

* * *

Facts actually taken from http://pudang. tripod .com 

Reviews are good. They have the potential to shorten the waiting period for the next chapter by several months. I'll try to get out another chapter before the summer is over...wish me luck :D


	6. Swings

_**Chapter Five**_

"_Swings"_

Shadow liked the swings.

He liked the feeling of freedom, the split moment of anti-gravitation right at the top when the chains slackened and there's nothing holding you up or pulling you down. At that moment, he would want nothing more than to let himself fly through the air. It would be awesome to see just how far he could go.

It was a pity, really, that everyone told him _'No, absolutely not' _(even Marik-aniki, and he _knows_ he's beaten when Marik refuses something on the grounds of it being 'too dangerous').

So he was stuck swinging the ordinary way. Which was still many times better than not swinging at all. Like today.

From where he sat beside the sandbox, half-hidden by the shadow of the play structure next to him, he frowned jealously at the three kids (two older girls and one older boy) who currently occupied the freedom-giving swings. There was also a toddler on the baby-seat swing, giggling as his father pushed the chains gently and his mother hovered around with a camera in her hands. But that didn't really count. He didn't want a _baby_ swing that couldn't go high than two feet off the ground.

His frown deepened a little more. It really wasn't _fair_. Those three had been at it for a good fifteen minutes now. Surely it was high time he got his turn.

He perked up when the older boy (who had been selfishly hogging the swings for _fifteen minutes)_ launched himself off his seat in a motion that could've been grand if he didn't crash-land onto the barkchips. Shadow stood up quickly, prepared to stake his claim to free-flight and giddy freedom.

Then a raven-haired little girl went whooshing off a slide ahead of him and leapt into the newly-empty seat with her added momentum.

He wanted to scream in frustration. A few choice words Otou-sama and Marik-aniki always used (but for some reason didn't think he knew) popped into his mind. But maybe the nice parents nearby would kick him out. And then there'd _really_ be no swinging today.

Sitting back down again, he angrily crossed his legs once more. The frown of his face had taken on a decidedly darker tone – almost furious, but somehow too innocent for a word so malicious. He glared at the little girl now happily swinging away. It wasn't _fair_. And he didn't give a half-eaten bowl of cold oatmeal how unreasonable he was being.

* * *

"Is it just me, or does 'Chibi-chan seem a little…moody today?" 

"Not just you. He looked at me like he wanted to strangle me when I went to pick him up at the park earlier. Left him there while I went to get that new game I've been wanting."

"The Zelda one? _Twilight Princess?"_

"That's the one."

"Five bucks says Shadow-chan beats it before you."

"Shut up!"

"So what was he doing at the park?"

"Nothing. Sitting next to the sandbox, glaring away at the swing set like it was his worst enemy."

"I thought he _liked_ the swings."

"Me too. I dunno, the kid's a huge mystery to me. I think it'll burn out soon. He always tells me what's on his mind when he's ready, and not a moment before. Wanna help me start the game? I think I want to name the horse Marik. Oooh! Or maybe Joey."

* * *

It was that same little girl from last week. The one who had so evilly stolen _his _swing. 

And she was on it again.

_Not fair. Not fair not fair not fair!_

He wished he still had Sahara Storm. Even though the tiger would never hurt anyone, he bet the girl would run off if he set the big cat after her. Then he could swing. _Finally._

Ryou-oniichan had told him to "be patient, and wait your turn."

Well, why should he? That girl certainly didn't.

Seto-ojichan had explained that "maybe it'd be easier if you went up and lined up next to the swing."

Well, the girl didn't do that either, did she now? And no one _else_ ever did.

Otou-sama had suggested "just beat the kid up."

Sound advice (even though Mokuba-niichan had bopped him over the head because of it). If only he wasn't so small. And if only the opponent wasn't a girl. Because Yugi-niichan had said "never beat up a girl."

All he wanted was a couple minutes at the swings. Just enough time to imagine himself flying off somewhere. Was that too much to ask?

* * *

"Shadow-chan didn't get onto the swings again today?" 

"Nope."

"Poor kid. Why don't we just build our own swing set for him?"

"That's not the point. He needs to get out more. Meet new kids."

"He just sits at the sandbox and glares at the swings."

"Yeah, well…"

"I still think…whoa, that's cool. You can switch back and forth between wolf Link and human Link now?"

"Yeah. Took me forever to get through the last part with the damn jumping statues."

"How'd you figure it out?"

"Did it by myself."

"So, Chibi-chan helped you?"

"…Shut up."

* * *

Glare. Frown. Glare. 

Maybe if he did it enough times, the girl would be magically blown off the swings and _he'd _get his turn.

_Glare_.

"Hey."

_Be quiet. I'm not done glaring._

"Hey…hey? Hey!"

Well, the hand waving around in his face wasn't helping the whole glaring thing. He turned around and fixed annoyed crimson eyes on the intruder.

He nearly jumped back in surprise when he realized belatedly that it was a stranger.

It was a redheaded boy, with bright violet eyes and a small stature. He couldn't have been more than a year older, and he held a scooter in one hand.

Shadow blinked shyly at him, letting his eyes ask the silent question.

The redhead smiled. "You've been sitting there a long time. Wanna come ride my scooter with me? My friend couldn't come today, and it's not nearly as fun riding by yourself."

Shadow thought about saying 'no.' He still wasn't so good at talking with people. But…

That shiny scooter looked a whole lot funner than sitting and glaring.

And Seto-ojichan _did_ tell him he should meet friends who weren't twenty years older than him.

"I've…I've never ridden one before," he confessed shyly, hoping the other boy wouldn't take back his offer.

But the slightly taller boy just smiled. "It's okay. I can show you."

It wasn't the same type of freedom. Zipping along on two wheels just didn't compare to flying weightless through the air.

The redhead boy was named Kenshin. He had a nice, soft smile and an easy laugh. He didn't care that Shadow tripped over the curb three times and scratched the scooter's silver paint a little bit. When a young lady came to pick him up, he told her that Shadow was his "new friend." And when he left, he waved and said "see you later."

Shadow still liked the swings. Still wishes that next week, that girl would get off for just five minutes and give him his turn.

But really, two wheels weren't so bad.

* * *

A spur-of-the-moment-chapter. Because Shadow can act like any other seven-year-old and because he needs a new friend. I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I simply took the Kenshin from my other fic "My Angel Without Wings" and stuck him in here. A shameless case of laziness, because I simply have no time to think up an OC. Forgive me. I do not own _Twilight Princess_ either. But that statue part was so annoying... 

Hope you enjoyed this. As always, please review!


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